In an apparent effort to aid the cash flow of Fiat’s 140 U.S. dealers, Chrysler Group has launched its Diversified Certified program. Under the program, Fiat dealerships will certify and sell used vehicles of any brand, with Chrysler Group placing a warranty on every certified pre-owned vehicle of any brand. The program will cover dealers of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands in about 60 days.

"Just because we didn't build the vehicle, doesn't mean we won't back it with a Chrysler Group warranty," according to Eric Swanson, head of certified pre-owned vehicles at Chrysler. Swanson remarked that although they want their customers to visit their dealers and purchase a new or certified pre-owned Chrysler Group model, they are now giving them another option to consider.

To be covered by the program, non-Chrysler vehicles must have registered a travel distance of less than 48,000 miles on the odometer and be a 2008 model or newer. Swanson told Automotive News that certified vehicles will be awarded with a warranty of five years or 60,000 miles from original in-service date, whichever comes first.

"We thought it was a good chance to bring attention to [the Fiat] brand, and Fiat just had some great sales last month, so it's a good time to try it out with those guys," Swanson said, noting that most of the Fiat dealers also have Chrysler stores.

Fiat has posted tremendous sales success in February, with its Fiat 500 model posting a 69% year-on-year hike to 3,227 units. The company’s 140 Fiat dealerships in the US, however, have had slow sales, almost no service business and no supply of used Fiats. [source: Autonews]